The Mad World of MadTech: February Roundup

1. Startup alum Locomizer rank in AI Tech Startups to Watch 2017

Following a number of pretty exciting updates (including a cheeky interview in Forbes), our class of '13 alumni are making us proud again.

Tech.eu has highlighted the biological intelligence tech team as one of the startups tech enthusiasts should keep an eye on for the upcoming year.

Great work guys. Read more here.

2. LivingLens secures £1.3m funding AND becomes finalist for SXSW Accelerator Competition

The LivingLens team are having a pretty impressive few weeks with two top announcements, starting with an incredible £1.3m funding round.

The mix of investors includes the Angel CoFund, angel investors from their involvement in our accelerator programme and successful marketeers and financiers.

This follows their recent win after being selected as a finalist for SXSW Accelerator Competition, in which only those leading startups from around the world are selected to take part in.

Good luck for the upcoming pitch event on March 12th!

Read more here.

3. Seenit and SyncSpot's founders stopped Forbes 30 under 30 list

A huge congratulations to Emily from Seenit and Jubair from SyncSpot for making the Forbes 30 under 30 list – a serious achievement.

Read more here.

Selection Day: The Next MadTech Startups?

Selection Day has now been and gone – it was huge success, with lots of investors and brand partners in the room to help us make the decision. We have now picked our final startups and will announce this once final due diligence has completed.

Thank you once again to all those who invested in our Class of 2017 cohort – we’re super excited by the final group and where they’ll head from here onwards.

So from here on... watch this space. We've got a bunch of new startups we can't wait for you to meet!

It's official! Collider set to launch in Amsterdam

We officially announced our big news today – Collider will be launching in Amsterdam next year! Below is our official press release. Please feel free to share to all, and if you'd like to get involved with our next step, we'd love to hear from you.

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For Immediate Release

Collider to launch new madtech accelerator in Amsterdam

Amsterdam’s startup scene continues to draw interest from overseas, as London’s leading marketing and advertising tech accelerator announce their plan to launch in the city.

Now onto their fifth cohort, Collider invests in early stage, madtech startups to help them become sustainable, rapidly growing businesses through investment, a highly structured programme and access to a wide, relevant network.

The accelerator focuses on the sweet spot between startups and brands and the commercial benefits they bring to one another.

Amsterdam will be the company’s first office outside of the UK.

Rose Lewis, Co-Founder and CEO of Collider said: “Amsterdam has a huge marketing and ad presence – the third largest in Europe – and many big brands have their global or European HQs there.

“The startup ecosystem is growing thanks to some great initiatives in the city, so it makes perfect sense for it to become Collider’s second city.”

The accelerator saw their first exit in 2016 with Class of 2013 cohort member, Avocarrot, selling to Glispa for $20 million.

The way the business works with corporates sees startups scale up with significant speed, reaching product market fit and ultimately secure deals. Collider UK partnerships include Unilever, Ogilvy, Haymarket and The Financial Times.

Ellen Bark-Lindhout, who's heading up the Amsterdam branch said: “Collider UK has a proven track record of accelerating marketing and ad tech startups and I am convinced there is lots of potential to do the same beyond London.

“One, because this year again we received a record number of startup applications from all over Europe, and two, because there are many great brands around Amsterdam that want to be close to the latest digital tech to innovate in marketing and e-commerce.”

Earlier this year, Collider hosted a popup in Amsterdam, connecting companies such as Heineken, Philips, NN Group and Ahold with a group of Collider startups.

Ellen said: “The positive reactions from both corporates and startups strengthened our plan to launch a programme in Amsterdam next year.”

Amsterdam’s Deputy Major, Kajsa Ollongren said: “I am pleased to welcome Collider and feel confident that their office in Amsterdam will be an excellent addition to the London office.

"Not only is Amsterdam Europe’s most connected tech city, it is also home to a vibrant creative industry. Collider's presence will lead to even more innovation in our marketing and advertising sector and attract entrepreneurial digital talent."

For more information Tazz Gault tazz@collider.io 07828672000

So You're Thinking Of Investing In An Accelerator?

You're thinking of investing in an accelerator.

Great. But which one?

Yeah yeah, we’re biased – sure; so we thought we’d let the numbers do the talking.

We’ve put together this little infographic to illustrate what we’ve achieved at Collider over the past three years –  that’s three incredible, ground breaking and sometimes-a-little-mad three years.

It’s about practicing what we preach and above all, making it clear to our community that they’re our number one.

We’d love for you to be part of that.

Collider alumni Avocarrot sold to Glispa for $20 million

"Mobile ad exchanger and Collider alumni, Avocarrot, has been sold to Glispa Global Group for $20 million dollars."

That was the news this September, and one that just shows the impact of the Collider accelerator programme. Congratulations to the team!

Avocarrot joined Collider's first ever accelerator programme in 2013 when we had just six brands and nine start ups, all operating from a back alley off Leicester Square. But it didn't take them long before they headed off to San Francisco to continue their journey in the tech space.

The team accelerated at an incredible pace, and in under four years sold to a fantastic collaborator for the future.

This news shows that we're beginning to see the results of our efforts to create a successful, thriving and in demand MadTech community, all stemming from London.

We can't wait to see what happens next.